The government has announced plans to construct a modern terminal at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen made the announcement yesterday as five newly appointed members of the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) board assumed office.
The new KAA board members are Mr George Ngugi, Ms Rebecca Lomong, Ms Serah Kimani and Mr Walter Ogola.
The CS urged KAA to work with investors and partners in the conceptualisation and construction of the terminal, saying it will boost Kenya’s economy by increasing transit capacity and expanding trade and investment.
He further noted that the new terminal would create job opportunities for Kenyans and make the country a leader in the aviation sector.
JKIA was constructed in 1978 with a capacity to serve two million passengers annually, but it has grown to serve eight million passengers every year, leading to inefficiencies and breakdown in systems.
Stifling trade
These inefficiencies, the CS said, had hindered the airport’s capacity to handle more planes and passengers thus stifling trade and investment.
“Being a key port of entry for Kenya, it is critical that we work on a Public-Private Partnership model that will facilitate the expansion of JKIA to include a new terminal and runway to double the airport’s capacity and move the list of the best airports in the world,” the CS said.
Mr Murkomen asked the new board members to hit the ground running and come up with innovative ways to make Kenya’s airports and airstrips financially sustainable to avoid over-reliance on revenue collected from JKIA.
The Cabinet Secretary also challenged the board to review the KAA Act, 1991 to be aligned with current developments in the aviation sector and seal leakages in revenue collection through automation of systems in line with the directive issued by President William Ruto.
The CS also urged the board to review systems and protocols to boost both the physical and cyber security at JKIA and other airports in the country.
At the same time, outgoing Kenya Roads Board (KRB) chairperson Phylis Wakiaga yesterday handed over to her successor, former Wajir West MP Ahmed Kolosh.
During the handover, Mr Murkomen said the government is working to address the issue of pending bills affecting contractors, without resorting to loans that would burden taxpayers.
“We are aware of the difficulties that contractors are facing due to the pending bills that have accumulated for over two years. We have revised the pending bills from Sh910 billion to Sh800 billion and are currently working on a formula that will allow for gradual settlement of the bills, based on the amounts we receive from Treasury,” he said.
The CS also said the current regime will not borrow recklessly to pay bills “as was the case in the previous regime”
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